Video: Toning a color photo creatively

Here we're going to take a look at how we can begin to have some fun with color when we're working with our Split Toning panel. In particular, what I want to do with this color photograph is I want to add a bit of a unique, or distinct color effect that perhaps makes this image look like it was cross processed, or a little bit vintage, or just different. Well, here's what we're going to do first. We'll start off in the Basic panel. What I'm going to do in the Basic panel is increase my overall Exposure, add some Fill Light here and then bring up the Contrast a bit. Now, I'm not really focused in on the color at all just yet, because I'm going to do my color work inside of the Split Toning panel.

In Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: Camera Raw 6, Chris Orwig provides in-depth training on Camera Raw 6, the CS5 component that enables photographers to open and manipulate images in non-destructive and now even more efficient ways. This course covers the benefits of the raw processing, which makes it possible to more precisely control an image's appearance—exposure, shadow and highlight detail, color balance, sharpness, and more—including new workflow procedures and technical concepts and issues. Learn the entire Camera Raw workflow, from opening and resizing, toning and cropping, to sharpening and saving. Exercise files are included with the course.

Toning a color photo creatively

Here we're going to take a look at how we can begin to have some fun with colorwhen we're working with our Split Toning panel.In particular, what I want to do with this color photograph is I want to add abit of a unique, or distinct color effect that perhaps makes this image look likeit was cross processed, or a little bit vintage, or just different.Well, here's what we're going to do first.We'll start off in the Basic panel.What I'm going to do in the Basic panel is increase my overall Exposure, addsome Fill Light here and then bring up the Contrast a bit.Now, I'm not really focused in on the color at all just yet, because I'm goingto do my color work inside of the Split Toning panel.

So let's navigate to that panel.We can do so by clicking on the Tab or by pressing the shortcut: Command+Option+5on a Mac, Ctrl+Alt+5 on Windows.Next thing I want to do is go ahead and increase my Saturation a bit here.Then I am going to find a Hue that will be kind of fun to add to this image.What I'm going to look for is just something a little bit distinct or different,and I'll go ahead, and let's say choose a green.Next, I'll increase my Saturation from my Shadows, and then here I'm looking tofind a Hue as well that might work with this color combination.

I'll try something perhaps like blue.What we can do is have a lot of fun with this, increasing our Color Saturationto intensify the effect, or of course we can come up with different colorcombinations which can really sometimes lead to perhaps interesting or distincttype of a look here.In this case, let's go with something which is really yellow and green. All right.Well now that we have the Split Toning effect in it, I realize that the originalcolors are a little bit too strong.No big deal, back to the Basic panel.Here what we'll do is simply de- saturate a bit so that the Split Toning colorsare starting to take over a little bit more.

Add a touch of more Fill Light here, a little bit more Contrast.And again, just giving this image a completely different and distinct look.Now, another thing we might want to do here in the Basic panel is modify withour Temperature sliders.Here I can make this a little bit more blue and cool, or I can warm this up andmake this a little bit more yellow and warm.Now, all of this type of color work is really just creative and fun.And occasionally, you can come up with something that might be kind ofinteresting, like we have here.In other situations, you may want to go for a little bit more of a subtle effect.

Let me show you what I mean.What I'm going to do here is go ahead and double-click my Saturation slider inorder to set that back to 0.Then I'll go back to the Split Toning panel, and here all that I'm going to do isreduce my Saturation amount.Now here at this juncture, I'm just looking to add a little bit of thiseffect into the image.Now, it may not look like much.But let's look at our before and after.Click on the Preview check box.Here's before, a little bit cool, and then here is after.There is a little bit of kind of a milky yellow aesthetic with also some Greens in there.

And again, we can kind of find the sweet spots for how far we want to push this,or how much of this particular type of color effect we actually want to add tothis particular image.So I just point this out that really when working with creative color, the sky is the limit.There are so many different color options that we can come up with.It can be a ton of fun to begin to play with the Split Toning panel and to seehow we can start to modify or adjust our images in some pretty unique ways.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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